Chapter 1 Journey's Start

Everything was proceeding in an orderly manner. Lin Mo sat idly on the ruins, enjoying the sea breeze and watching the lord-level zai zai (term of endearment for the larvae) hunt what appeared to be mutated seagulls. Lin Mo still found it amusing, like playing a game where he could control the body of the zai zai.

Although he wasn't entirely familiar with the structure, he could manage to use it.

However, Lin Mo had noticed something different. These mutated creatures generally lacked jing he (crystallized core of energy), which was quite strange. Furthermore, the jing he of these mutated creatures didn't follow the same rules as those of human survivors or even zombies.

Some of these monsters possessed combat power exceeding the fourth tier, yet their jing he's strength remained at the fourth tier, with no change in the energy within.

Logically, the jing he of such large creatures should be worth two normal ones, but that wasn't the case. It was as if the body's size had no relation to the creature's biological energy.

Lin Mo decided not to dwell on it. It didn't really matter anyway, as the zai zai wouldn't waste anything, and the corpses would be put to good use.

While their combat ability was subpar, the materials and biological energy they provided were substantial.

It was like the CPUs from a few years ago compared to today's models. The materials were roughly the same, with no significant weight difference, but the capabilities were incomparable.

"Empress, something's happened! The Corrupted Zai Zai are fighting underwater."

Lin Mo immediately perked up.

Now, Lin Mo's ability came in handy. After all, seawater is conductive due to its salt content.

Hehe.

Kaka carried Lin Mo's main body and dove straight into the water. To avoid dirtying the Empress's favorite clothes, Kaka even used the Overlord's Shield to push all the surrounding water away.

Another unconventional use for it.

The visibility in the seawater was low, further obscured by a thick green mist caused by the spores released during the Corrupted Zai Zai's battle.

The Eyeball Zai Zai thoughtfully followed, acting as the eyes for the Empress.

However, the Eyeball Zai Zai didn't rely solely on optical organs for observation; it also employed other, somewhat inexplicable, seemingly scientific yet slightly unscientific biotechnologies.

Lin Mo finally got a clear view.

It was a massive shark – well, somewhat odd. The shape of its head resembled a hammer. Lin Mo subconsciously frowned, feeling the pressure buff from the hammer towards the capitalist Lin Mo.

The tail of the Corrupted Zai Zai seemed to serve little purpose other than hovering. Its primary attack method remained the spore attack, common among the insectoid swarm.

The hammerhead shark was clearly outmatched, struggling and writhing within the thick mist. The layer of seemingly hard, gray skin on its surface was peeling off.

With a sudden tail swipe, it flung away the Corrupted Zai Zai attempting to control it.

Even its brain was knocked out. For other species, this might be a fatal blow, but did the brain matter to an insectoid zai zai?

It didn't matter, did it? Well, no, it really didn't. The Cerebrate Zai Zai could just direct its actions.

Besides, discarding its brain to block damage was normal for a Corrupted Zai Zai.

For the zai zai, no organ was irreplaceable. As long as the gene chains within its body weren't destroyed, anything was possible.

"It seems this thing can only rely on its teeth for attack. It's worthless."

As soon as Lin Mo finished speaking, the Corrupted Zai Zai stopped pretending. It transformed into a ruthless acid-producing machine, beating and kicking the hammerhead shark to death instantly.

Even the surrounding sea turned green, like the translucent green of a biological virus.

The Eyeball Zai Zai immediately detected a segment of sound waves imperceptible to the human ear and reported it to Kaka. After all, even if they told the Empress, she wouldn't understand!

Almost simultaneously, the Eyeball Zai Zai discovered something extraordinary.

Something was rapidly approaching, in enormous numbers – far more than the Corrupted Zai Zai…

Lin Mo had only produced 1,000 Corrupted Zai Zai so far. They were only needed for clearing paths; once the seabed construction was complete, there would be a combination of fungal carpets, toxin sacs, and densely packed Spine Crawlers resembling seaweed.

Although Lin Mo had never used those kinds of zai zai, they were undeniably powerful. He simply didn't need them; when on land, his own Lurker Zai Zai were more useful.

After all, while Spine Crawlers were biological, they lacked the ability to move, and could only protect the insectoid buildings in a passive, waiting-for-the-rabbit-to-come-to-the-trap manner.

But that didn't mean Spine Crawlers were weak. After all, no zai zai recorded in the main nest was weak.

Originally standing at nearly twenty meters tall, they could reach a staggering fifty meters in combat mode. This was still a shallow sea area, so that length could easily extend from the seabed to the surface.

Dealing with these mutated sea creatures would be simple.

Therefore, Lin Mo wasn't worried at all. In fact, he was a bit excited, like playing a tower defense game. It wouldn't be fun if the enemy didn't come after he'd built his structures.

Still, Lin Mo couldn't help but feel a little uneasy. After all, one couldn't expect someone with an advanced case of firepower inadequacy syndrome to face this calmly.

And so…

"Kaka! Bring on some more!"

"…" Empress, that's enough! You think too highly of them!

Kaka only thought this to herself, of course. The Empress must always be indulged.

So, with a flurry of movement, several small objects, resembling ice cream cones with too much whipped cream, materialized on the ground. This zai zai looked even more biological; though its limbs had atrophied, at least it still had limbs.

Spine Crawler: …

If Spine Crawlers were unable to attack, then these Spore Crawlers were perfect for magical damage. They still relied on spraying acid for defense. As everyone knows, anti-aircraft guns are exceptionally effective at everything except anti-air.

Compared to Mutalisk Zai Zai, just three sprays would dissolve a Mutalisk Zai Zai into a puddle of thick liquid.

This thing, like Baneling Zai Zai, dedicated its entire structure to the main functions of acid production and spraying.

And so, under Lin Mo's expectant gaze, the test subjects… er, the mutated creatures arrived!